Self-reported impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, affective responding, and subjective well-being: A Swedish survey

Impact of COVID-19 on the Self-Report Assessment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent guidelines have had a substantial effect on social norms. This likely affected self-report assessment of psychopathology, namely those that assess obsessive-compulsive tendencies routinely used to screen for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It was hypothesized that self-report assessment of OCD likely produces inflated, non-discriminating scale scores. Methods Data collection occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of validating a new psychological test; however, data collection was abruptly halted in March 2020. Data collection was allowed to resume in the latter half of the year. Both groups were racio-ethnically and gender diverse. Results Self-report measures of OCD yielded inflated scores. For instance, the total obsessive-compulsive inventory-revised (OCI-R) average score of all participants went from normative levels prior to COVID-19 (M = 13.69, SD = 10.32) to an average score that was above the clinical cut-off on the OCI-R (M = 32.89; SD = 12.95) during the pandemic (t(135) = 9.66, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.66). Conclusions OCD-related scale scores likely produced false positives in research and practice due to COVID-19 health guidelines put in place to protect against infection that may otherwise be considered contamination fears on OCD measures.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frail older people ageing in place alone in two Italian cities: Functional limitations, care arrangements and available services

The study aimed to explore and compare effects of lockdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, on frail older people living alone at home in Brescia and Ancona, two urban cities located respectively in Northern and Central Italy. This country was the Western epicenter of the first wave of the pandemic (February-May 2020), which affected the two cities differently as for infections, with a more severe impact on the former. A follow-up study of the IN-AGE research project (2019) was carried out in July-September 2020, by means of telephone interviews, involving 41 respondents. Semi-structured questions focused on the effects of the first wave of the pandemic on their mobility and functional limitations, available care arrangements, and access to health services. The lockdown and social distancing measures overall negatively impacted on frail older people living alone, to a different extent in Ancona and Brescia, with a better resilience of home care services in Brescia, and a greater support from the family in Ancona, where however major problems in accessing health services also emerged. Even though the study was exploratory only, with a small sample that cannot be considered as representative of the population, and despite differences between the two cities, findings overall suggested that enhancing home care services, and supporting older people in accessing health services, could allow ageing in place, especially in emergency times.

Genetic predisposition to subjective well-being, depression, and suicide in relation to COVID-19 susceptibility and severity

BACKGROUND

Epidemiological studies have reported associations between subjective well-being (SWB), depression, and suicide with COVID-19 illness, but the causality has not been established. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal link between SWB, depression, suicide and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.

METHODS

Summary statistics for SWB (298,420 cases), depression (113,769 cases) and suicide (52,208 cases) were obtained from three large-scale GWAS. Data on the associations between the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and COVID-19 (159,840 cases), hospitalized COVID-19 (44,986 cases), and severe COVID-19 (18,152 cases) were collected from the COVID-19 host genetics initiative. The causal estimate was calculated by the Inverse Variance Weighted, MR Egger and Weighted Median methods. Sensitivity tests were used to evaluate the validity of the causal relationship.

RESULTS

Our results showed that genetically predicted SWB (OR = 0.98, 95 % CI: 0.86-1.10, P = 0.69), depression (OR = 0.76, 95 % CI: 0.54-1.06, P = 0.11), and suicide (OR = 0.99, 95 % CI: 0.96-1.02, P = 0.56) were not causally related to COVID-19 susceptibility. Similarly, we did not find a potential causal relationship between SWB, depression, suicide and COVID-19 severity.

CONCLUSIONS

This indicated that positive or negative emotions would not make COVID-19 better or worse, and strategies that attempted to use positive emotions to improve COVID-19 symptoms may be useless. Improving knowledge about the SARS-CoV-2 and timely medical intervention to reduce panic during a pandemic is one of the effective measures to deal with the current decrease in well-being and increase in depression and suicide rates.

Emotion regulation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and mental distress: findings on buffering, exacerbation, and gender differences in a cross-sectional study from Norway

Background

Maintaining good mental health is important during a crisis. However, little attention has been given to how people achieve this, or how they evaluate emotions associated with stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to (1) investigate whether emotion regulation, in particular cognitive reappraisal and suppression, moderates the relationship between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress and (2) examine gender differences in the interrelations between COVID-19 stress, emotion regulation, and mental distress.

Methods

Data from a population in Norway (n = 1.225) were collected using a cross-sectional survey during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire Scale (ERQ), COVID-19 stress with the COVID-19 Stress Scale, and mental distress with the Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ-4). Moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results

There was a strong association between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress (r = 0.61). The moderation analyses showed substantial moderation effects of cognitive reappraisal and suppression on the relationship between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Cognitive reappraisal served as a buffer (p = 0.001) and suppression (p = 0.002) exacerbated the relation between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Men had higher scores of suppression (p < 0.001), and women had higher scores of cognitive reappraisal (p = 0.025). The buffering effect of cognitive reappraisal presented itself only in women (p < 0.001), while the exacerbation effect of suppression appeared only in men (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The current study suggests that COVID-19 pandemic-related stress is easier to deal with for those who have the tendency to cognitively reappraise. In contrast, suppression is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The prevention of mental distress can be supported by guiding people about the importance of using healthy emotion regulation strategies, as well as helping them to become more aware of the way they interpret and regulate their emotions. Gender differences in emotion regulation suggest gender awareness, e.g., tailored programs for men and women.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences on Child Health and Well-Being

Family responses to crises such as COVID-19 are driven by parents' experiences. Parental history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) might play an important role in predicting resilience, coping capacity, and parenting practices during the COVID-19 pandemic response. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disruption on child health and well-being as influenced by the previous history of ACEs in the parents. Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsychInfo were searched for peer-reviewed articles using the keywords "COVID-19", "Parents or Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences", and "child health" or "child well-being". Data were extracted using a literature review matrix template. Title, abstract, and full article-level reviews were conducted by two reviewers. The association between COVID-19 disruption, negative parenting, and child behavioral and emotional problems was stronger for parents with younger children with a history of high ACE scores. Parents with high ACE scores were more likely to cope poorly with childcare duties and engage in child neglect, verbal abuse, and reduced feeding frequency, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review findings support the framework of inadequate resilience and coping skills of adults with a history of ACEs during periods of stress and unpredictability such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The negative effects of these parental stressors on a child's health and well-being are modifiable and could be mitigated by targeted interventions. Trauma-informed care should be adopted to contribute to optimum child health.

Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic Period in the European Population: An Institutional Challenge

The worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been responsible for an infectious pandemic, with repercussions on socio-economic aspects and on the physical and mental health of the general population. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate the data belonging to the European framework, analyzing the population by age group. Original articles and reviews on the state of mental health of the general European population have been researched starting from 2021. Initially, a total of 1764 studies were found, among which a total of 75 were selected. Youth were the age group most affected by pandemic consequences on mental health, with emotional and behavioral alterations observed from a third to more than a half of children and adolescents examined. Among both adolescents and adults, the female gender had a higher prevalence of psychopathological symptoms. The main risk factors were poor social support, economic difficulties, and, in particular, unemployment or job changes. Additional individual risk factors were the perception of loneliness, the presence of pre-pandemic mental illness/distress, and some personality traits, such as neuroticism, impulsiveness, and the use of maladaptive coping strategies. Unexpectedly, the elderly maintained good resilience towards change, even if a stress factor was represented by the feeling of loneliness and poor social contact. As regards suicidal behaviors, among adolescents, there was an increase in attempts of 25%, with a greater risk for the female gender. This risk increased also among adults, in association with symptoms of anxiety and depression, and poor socio-environmental conditions. In conclusion, some population groups were found to be at greater risk of psychological burden during pandemic waves, thus representing priority targets for socio-health interventions.

Positive and Negative Risk-Taking in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: A Citizen Science Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sensation seeking is an important underlying factor of both positive and negative forms of risk-taking during adolescence and early adulthood. However, macro-factors such as the global COVID-19 pandemic may influence sensation seeking opportunities and risk-taking behaviors that are considered negative and positive. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to examine the associations between sensation seeking and behaviors that are considered positive or negative forms of risk-taking during the Covid-19 pandemic in a sample of adolescents and early adults (N = 660, M_age = 22.91, SD = 3.14). Using citizen science methods, negative risk-taking was defined as taking unaccepted risks, such as falsifying vaccination reports or deliberately contracting COVID-19. Positive risk-taking was defined as taking socially accepted risks, such as balancing between the risk to infect elderly people and the need to socialize with peers. Results showed that participants with higher levels of sensation seeking took more positive and negative COVID-19 related risks. An additional finding was that sensation seeking was positively associated with the need to contribute to society. This indicates that during adolescence and early adulthood, sensation seeking may be a driving factor for both positive (i.e., socially accepted) and negative (i.e., socially unaccepted) risk-taking in the context of a high-stake global pandemic, arguing against a one-direction negative relation between sensation seeking and risk-taking.

Subjective Wellbeing among University Students and Recent Graduates: Evidence from the United Kingdom

This study compares students’ and recent graduates’ perceptions of their subjective wellbeing and offers support mechanisms and resources to enhance wellbeing in higher education. Survey data were collected in September 2021 from 414 UK-based higher education students and recent graduates on their self-perceived subjective wellbeing in March 2020 (before COVID-19 regulations restrictions) and September 2021 (18 months later). Findings showed that subjective wellbeing scores fell for almost three-quarters of university students and recent graduates between March 2020 and September 2021. Interestingly, around one-fifth of participants reported increased subjective wellbeing scores whilst the remaining participants reported no impact. Positive impacts of the pandemic included opportunities for self-improvement with more free time for focusing on health and relationships. Adverse outcomes included feelings of isolation, reduced mental and physical health, difficulties undertaking degree studies and work, travel restrictions, and concerns for labour market competitiveness. The study advances the application of the conservation of resources theory and identifies strategies for higher education institutions to better support and improve their students’ and future graduates’ subjective wellbeing. Strategies include access to counselling, mindfulness, opportunities for participation in hobbies, interaction with peers, flexible work and study options, and guidance on career and finances.

Coping and Anxiety During Lockdown in Spain: The Role of Perceived Impact and Information Sources

Background/Purpose

In the context of COVID-19 lockdowns, extant research suggests that secondary coping (a strategy aimed at adjusting oneself self to the stressor) is more robustly associated with better mental health than primary coping (a strategy aimed at adjusting the stressor to oneself). We investigated whether these findings are generalizable to Spain-one of the most severely affected countries at that time. We also tested whether the link between secondary coping and mental health (as measured by anxiety) can be accounted for by how individuals perceive the COVID-19 impact (ie, perceived life changes and personal global impact) and how frequently they use traditional and social media to check COVID-19-related information.

Methods

A diverse community sample (N = 408), collected during the first lockdown in Spain (early April 2020), completed a multi-measure online survey including the targeted variables.

Results

Secondary coping outperformed primary coping in predicting reduced anxiety during the lockdown in Spain. Moreover, lower perceived life changes from COVID-19 and reduced personal global impact from COVID-19 both mediated the negative secondary coping-anxiety relationship. No indirect effects emerged for either conventional or social media exposure.

Conclusion

These results (a) strengthen the cross-cultural validity of the link between secondary coping and anxiety and (b) advance our understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying this association.